James Marks Academy
- Special
- Free schools special
- Ages 11 to 18
URN 149736 · Hertfordshire · JAMES MARKS ACADEMY TRUST
Inspection
Ofsted management information, as at 30 September 2026.
Latest report card inspection
9 June 2026- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Strong standard
- Achievement
- Strong standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Post-16 provision
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding standards
- Met
Full inspection (section 5)
Report cards, used from 10 November 2025, grade each area on a five-point scale and give no overall grade. Safeguarding is met or not met.
Read the reports on Ofsted’s website. Source: Ofsted, State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information.
Attendance
Against Hertfordshire and England, special schools.
Overall absence
2024/2524.3%
- Hertfordshire
- 12.7%
- England
- 12.8%
11.5 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 10.6% | 10.1% |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 13.6% | 15.2% |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 12.9% | 13.2% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 13.0% | 13.0% |
| 2023/24 | 32.0% | 13.2% | 13.0% |
| 2024/25 | 24.3% | 12.7% | 12.8% |
Sessions missed for any reason, as a share of all possible sessions in the school year. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Persistent absence
2024/2565.1%
- Hertfordshire
- 34.4%
- England
- 35.3%
29.8 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 31.1% | 29.6% |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 29.8% | 28.8% |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 43.5% | 48.9% |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 37.4% | 40.4% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 37.4% | 38.3% |
| 2023/24 | 68.4% | 36.6% | 37.2% |
| 2024/25 | 65.1% | 34.4% | 35.3% |
Pupils who missed 10% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Severe absence
2024/2520.9%
- Hertfordshire
- 6.6%
- England
- 6.9%
14.0 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 4.4% | 4.4% |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 5.4% | 4.6% |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 4.7% | 5.6% |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 5.5% | 5.8% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 5.4% | 6.2% |
| 2023/24 | 26.3% | 6.6% | 6.7% |
| 2024/25 | 20.9% | 6.6% | 6.9% |
Pupils who missed 50% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Suspensions and permanent exclusions
Against Hertfordshire and England, special schools.
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2024/250.00
- Hertfordshire
- 19.01
- England
- 12.32
12.32 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 24.82 | 12.34 |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 20.86 | 11.32 |
| 2019/20 | Not published | 12.48 | 7.76 |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 13.33 | 7.29 |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 17.56 | 9.60 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 19.14 | 10.99 |
| 2023/24 | 0.00 | 17.35 | 12.62 |
| 2024/25 | 0.00 | 19.01 | 12.32 |
Suspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. One pupil can be suspended more than once. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Permanent exclusions per 100 pupils
2024/250.00
- Hertfordshire
- 0.22
- England
- 0.08
0.08 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 0.25 | 0.07 |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 0.36 | 0.06 |
| 2019/20 | Not published | 0.23 | 0.04 |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 0.11 | 0.03 |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 0.18 | 0.05 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 0.28 | 0.08 |
| 2023/24 | 0.00 | 0.17 | 0.08 |
| 2024/25 | 0.00 | 0.22 | 0.08 |
Permanent exclusions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Key stage 4 results
Against Hertfordshire and England, secondary schools.
Attainment 8
2023/24Not publishedNot published: suppressed to protect individuals, usually because numbers are small
Not compared with mainstream schools.
The average of pupils' points across eight GCSE-level qualifications, with English and maths counted twice. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2023/24.
English and maths: grade 4 or above
2023/24Not publishedNot published: suppressed to protect individuals, usually because numbers are small
Not compared with mainstream schools.
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2023/24.
English and maths: grade 5 or above
2023/24Not publishedNot published: suppressed to protect individuals, usually because numbers are small
Not compared with mainstream schools.
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 5 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2023/24.
Pupils
Against Hertfordshire and England, special schools.
Eligible for free school meals
2024/2515.7%
- Hertfordshire
- 41.3%
- England
- 48.8%
33.1 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 38.6% | 44.4% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 39.2% | 45.6% |
| 2023/24 | 13.0% | 41.7% | 47.1% |
| 2024/25 | 15.7% | 41.3% | 48.8% |
Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals on census day in January. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
SEN support
2024/252.0%
- Hertfordshire
- 0.5%
- England
- 0.5%
1.5 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 0.0% | 0.9% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| 2023/24 | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| 2024/25 | 2.0% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
Pupils receiving special educational needs support without an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Education, health and care plan
2024/2598.0%
- Hertfordshire
- 99.5%
- England
- 99.5%
1.5 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 100.0% | 99.1% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 99.8% | 99.2% |
| 2023/24 | 100.0% | 99.5% | 99.3% |
| 2024/25 | 98.0% | 99.5% | 99.5% |
Pupils with an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
First language other than English
2024/250.0%
- Hertfordshire
- 13.8%
- England
- 14.4%
14.4 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 13.3% | 14.5% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 13.0% | 14.4% |
| 2023/24 | 0.0% | 13.4% | 14.4% |
| 2024/25 | 0.0% | 13.8% | 14.4% |
Pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Teachers
Against Hertfordshire and England, special schools.
Pupils per qualified teacher
2025/265.3
- Hertfordshire
- 6.7
- England
- 7.3
2.0 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 6.1 | 6.7 |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 6.0 | 6.8 |
| 2019/20 | Not published | 6.1 | 7.0 |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 6.2 | 6.8 |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 6.1 | 6.9 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 6.3 | 7.0 |
| 2023/24 | 7.4 | 6.5 | 7.1 |
| 2024/25 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 7.3 |
| 2025/26 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 7.3 |
Full-time equivalent pupils for each full-time equivalent qualified teacher. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2025/26.
Teacher sickness absence
2024/250.4 days
- Hertfordshire
- 4.3 days
- England
- 5.0 days
4.6 days lower than England.
Compared with all state-funded schools: DfE publishes this measure for all schools, not by phase.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | Not published | 3.0 days | 4.0 days |
| 2018/19 | Not published | 3.1 days | 4.0 days |
| 2019/20 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2020/21 | Not published | 2.9 days | 3.9 days |
| 2021/22 | Not published | 5.3 days | 6.3 days |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 4.4 days | 5.2 days |
| 2023/24 | 0.0 days | 4.6 days | 5.3 days |
| 2024/25 | 0.4 days | 4.3 days | 5.0 days |
Days lost to sickness absence in the school year, averaged across all teachers. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2024/25.
Finance
Academies report their accounts as part of their trust, so DfE publishes no school-level balance for this school. The trust’s figures are in DfE’s Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.
See this school in the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool
About the school
- Pupils on roll
- 62
- Capacity
- 60
- Type
- Free schools special
- Phase
- Special
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- JAMES MARKS ACADEMY TRUST
- Opened
- 1 September 2023
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Constituency
- Welwyn Hatfield
- Deprivation of the area (IDACI)
- Decile 8 of 10 (1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods)
Address: The Commons, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4RZ
Sources and corrections
Every figure on this page names its source and period. This release was built on 20 October 2026.
- Department for Education: Get Information about Schools: establishment data (GIAS establishment extract 2026-10-20)
- Ofsted: State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information (Latest inspections as at 2026-09-30; All inspections, 2018/19; All inspections, 2019/20; All inspections, 2020/21; All inspections, 2021/22; All inspections, 2022/23; All inspections, 2023/24; All inspections, 2024/25; All inspections, 2025/26)
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Pupil absence in schools in England (absence-3term-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England (exc-school, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-geography, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-geography, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 2 attainment (ks2-school, 2022/23 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; ks2-geography, 2015/16 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 4 performance (ks4-school, 2023/24 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ks4-geography, 2018/19 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Schools, pupils and their characteristics (School census, January 2022 (performance tables, 2021 to 2022); School census, January 2023 (performance tables, 2022 to 2023); School census, January 2024 (performance tables, 2023 to 2024); School census, January 2025 (performance tables, 2024 to 2025))
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: School workforce in England (ptr-school, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ptr-geography, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; sickness-school, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; sickness-geography, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English indices of deprivation 2025: Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (English indices of deprivation 2025, File 7 (2021 LSOAs))
Spotted something wrong? Report a correction with the school’s URN (149736). Fixes go out in the next weekly release.